Panel to prevent COMED-K like scam, Minister

A committee will be formed to curb frauds like COMED-K seat-blocking scam in future, Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil said today.
"The state government has decided to form a committee to prevent frauds like COMED-K scam from taking place," he told reporters here.
Since last week, the Central Crime Branch (CCB)sleuths have arrested 39 people for their alleged involvement in the Consortium of Medical Engineering Dental Colleges of Karnataka (COMED-K) seat-blocking scam.
The modus operandi of the accused was that the impostor students would write the under-graduate entrance test for medical courses and score good marks to secure seats at reputed colleges in and around the state.

They would get admission by paying the fee, but would withdraw at the last hour to help the management make use of the vacant seat.
"Now, the students will have to convince the proposed committee before withdrawing their admission into the reputed medical colleges in the state," he said.

Patil suspected that the entrance test was manipulated to facilitate admission of undeserving candidates to medical courses for higher amount of money.
The Minister also said that the government has sought a report into the series of incidents and strict action would be taken against the culprits indulging in the seat-blocking scam.

The scam came to light last week when Central Industrial Security Force personnel at the airport detained 28 students after details on their identity cards did not match their claims of age and name. On further interrogation, they told them about the scam.
CCB then had raided a lodge in the Majestic area here and arrested seven persons.